Day 225.

Thursday, August 13, 2009.

Spent the day in Millennium Park with the Rhodes clan. So much fun, a beautiful day, and I just am in awe of the Target Family Fun Tent. It is such an incredible free resource to us here in the city each summer!

Dylan is very interested in hula-hooping. They have a spot for doing just that (and jump roping) there in the Target Family Fun Tent. My kids always enjoy playing with the hula hoops, but neither of them can actually hula hoop for real (well, I guess I can, but that's really not that enjoyable to watch, is it?). Well, today that changed.

I am grateful for determination.

Often I worry about the laziness of Americans and I think consciously how I don't want to raise lazy kids. I don't want them to need to be carried everywhere. I want them to be good walkers. And I don't want them to give up if they can't figure something out right away. THAT, is the hard one for them. Often they both get so frustrated so quickly, and they won't problem solve on their own. They just want me to fix it, or do it for them. Well, I can't hula-hoop for you.

There was an amazing twinkle in her eye as she did it for the first time this morning. It was like she had performed magic and she just couldn't quite believe it! I hope that her determination only gets stronger as she grows into a girl and eventually a young woman.